Air
by Unknown Crow
Summary: Robin, ordinary high school student, runs into Chrom, handsome upperclassman, at a party. But where does it go from there?
1. Chapter 1

The man stepped into the alleyway. Discarded newspapers lay at his feet, and the dumpsters produced their usual vile smells.

Something had happened here, and he'd _almost_ been here to witness it. Admittedly, he had had more than a few drinks this night, but this was no hallucination. Something had just sparked and burned out the streetlamp to his left, and it came from the alley that had been to his right.

Something had happened. He just wanted to find out what.

He stepped past a dumpster, eyes squinted looking into the dark depths of the alley.

"What in the godda - aagh!"

* * *

Robin concentrated on the battle. The battlefield was a blood-soaked landscape, covered in the corpses of both her and her opponent's soldiers.

She moved the knight and took her opponent's bishop.

The coffeeshop was never crowded. The big brands had moved into town years back and the shop had eked along on its regulars. Every last one of them agreed that the small, local shop had the best atmosphere for the enjoyment of coffee.

Cordelia glanced at the board. With her pale and slender fingers, the upperclassman picked up the white queen and took Robin's pawn. "Check...mate."

"Damn it," Robin said, her eyes scanning the board for anything she'd missed.

"You learned from the best," the upperclassman said, smoothing her skirt. "Doesn't mean you _are_ the best." Cordelia gave an unnaturally wide smile.

"Hey, I've improved a lot!" Robin half-yelled, leaning over the chessboard.

"You're a natural, I'll give you that," Cordelia said thoughtfully, leaning back on the sofa. "I've never seen someone improve so fast in such short time. But I've been doing this for years."

The two cleaned up the chess game and set it back on the windowsill.

"There's not much more I can teach you," Cordelia said, double checking her messenger bag. "I can teach you techniques and methods, but I can't teach you how to think like a tactician. That's something you have to learn on your own."

"Big help," Robin said, her hands in the pockets of her slightly oversized jacket.

"Hey, it's true," Cordelia said, holding the door open for the younger girl. "I can't teach you how to think. All you can learn from someone else is technique."

"It feels like we've had this discussion before," Robin said, stepping out into the spring air. "Geez. 'Blah blah, blah, you can't be taught how to think. You learn that from experience, blah blah blah.'"

"There's a difference between me telling you, and you understanding it," Cordelia said.

Robin gently shoved the red-haired girl for the remark.

Gently, however, would not be how Cordelia would describe it.

* * *

Home for Robin was Uncle's disturbingly large apartment on the thirteenth floor.

Uncle worked in a corporate office half the time and the other half of his life was spent flying cross-country on business, reporting in on car accidents. It was fairly rare that the two of them would see each other, and an even rarer occurrence was the two of them eating together.

Tonight was the norm rather than the exception. Robin spent the night alone, doing homework and reading, a stereo system alternating between classical or jazz depending on her mood.

At ten, Robin prepared herself for sleep.

Robin had somehow obtained the larger of the two bedrooms. Uncle's room was spartan and had only a bed and a desk, and he gave her the larger room simply because she had more things.

Her room wasn't even that decorated. A single poster hung in the room, a reminder of Robin's favorite movie - a particularly motivational flick about a baseball manager and his dysfunctional team.

Robin climbed into the bed and slept peacefully.

* * *

The shrill tones of her alarm clock let Robin know the morning was upon her. Half-asleep, she tossed the covers aside and stepped out of bed.

An hour later, she arrived at the high school. Just in time for class.

Several hours later, she walked out into the courtyard.

"Yo," she said to the sitting red-haired upperclassman. "You going for coffee?"

"Nah," Cordelia said. "Sumia and I are working on a project for Chem - it's a presentation and we want to be done before tomorrow, so we're going to head to the library today."

"Hey, Cordy!" Sumia said. "Hey, Robin! Haven't seen you in a while, how're ya doin'?"

Robin shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

"Just 'okay', huh? Hmm...hey, this Friday you should come out with us to Julie's party!"

Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "You know Julie hates sophomores," she said. "Doesn't invite them to her parties."

"Yeah, yeah," Sumia said. "Well, if she points it out, I bet you ten I can knock her out with one punch."

"You're on," Cordelia said. "Ten bucks says you can't." She turned to Robin. "Meet us at the Sev on 36th at eight, tomorrow."

* * *

The phone call came in right as the water in the pot was getting hot. Robin was ready to dump the noodles in, but the phone's obnoxious ringing pulled her out of the kitchen.

"Hello," the man said.

Robin cursed internally. It was her father, whose other contributions to her life included a monthly supply of the bare minimum in child support and the birthmark on her hand.

"How's school?" Validar asked.

"Great," Robin growled. "Fantastic."

"That's good to hear," the man on the other end said calmly. "Do you, ah, have a lot of friends?"

"Yes." The answers seemed to be more guttural growls than words. "Loads."

"Is everything alright? Are you sick?"

And so the conversation did not stop. At least, it didn't until Robin gritted her teeth and informed her father that she was in the middle of cooking dinner, and that the water was _boiling, right now._

That ended the conversation.

The night passed without any further incident.

* * *

Friday.

Eight o'clock, on the dot.

Cordelia and Sumia waited in the car - an older model, slightly rusted and battered, with a rear view mirror that was perpetually threatening to break off.

Cordelia munched on the energy bar - a small stock of the bars were kept in the glove compartment, regularly refilled by the redheaded junior. Sumia grabbed one out and began unwrapping it.

"Think Robin's gonna show?" Sumia asked.

"Don't know," Cordelia said, chewing the bar and swallowing. "Don't think she's the type for parties, even if Julie hosts really tame ones."

"Well, for all she knows, we could be going to a hardcore rave," Sumia said. "Hey, you're the one in a black and blue miniskirt. Oh, hey, there she is!"

True to Sumia's words, Robin was walking up to the car.

"Come with me if you want to live," Cordelia said as Robin climbed in the back. Within seconds, the car was puttering away from the convenience store.

* * *

The house was at the edge of a suburb - a fairly upscale neighborhood without many residents. Julie and her parents had moved in a year ago, and Julie often hosted parties while the parents were out on romantic dates or sometimes vacations. She'd quickly became very popular, and it was mostly due to the parties.

This information came from some reliable sources, or so Cordelia had been told.

"Now, you have to know one thing," Cordelia said as they pulled up to the house. "Julie hates having 'uncool' sophomores at her parties - so try not to stand out. Just relax, have a good time - and remember, we leave at 12 on the money."

Robin, her arms resting on the front seat, her head resting on her arms, nodded as much as she could in response. "12. Got it."

"Let's do this," Sumia said as Cordelia put the car in park. The pair hopped out, Robin following shortly afterward.

Julie was at the door, holding it open. "Wait," Julie said, looking at Robin. "Did I invite you?"

Cordelia nodded. "We can vouch for her. She's cool."

Julie nodded, eyes narrowing.

The party had begun already. A pair of brothers, both seniors, were moving away, and Julie had decided to throw a party for them. The two were jamming out in the living room, a pair of acoustic guitars dueling for dominance.

"Come on, come on, we're - in - love," the darker haired brother sang.

"Come on, come on," the lighter haired brother sang.

Robin watched the scene unfold. Cordelia and Sumia had already left her, off to go chill with the other partygoers.

"Yo," an upperclassman said to her. "You look a little lost."

"Yeah," Robin said. "I don't go out to many parties."

The blue-haired upperclassman passed his soda cup to his left hand and held out his hand for her to shake. "Well, I'm Chrom. This is my first party, too."

"Haha," Robin said, shaking Chrom's hand. "Well, I'm Robin."

"Nice to meet you," Chrom said, his mouth widening into a smile.

A girl in an oversized jacket brushed past Robin. "Excuse me," the girl said before disappearing into the crowd.

"That's weird," Chrom said. "She has the exact same shade of hair as me."

"You have any long-lost sisters?" Robin asked, smiling.

"Nah," Chrom said. "Just two regular sisters, and they're both blonde."

* * *

Cordelia leaned up against the banister. "Hey, look, listen," she said, nudging Sumia. "Our little one already caught a fish."

"Cool," Sumia said, "Who's the lucky guy?"

"I-It's Chrom," Cordelia said, eyes widening. "Holy shit."

"Dude," Sumia, sitting up. "Are you serious? Is his posse around?"

"No," Cordelia replied carefully. "The guy is without Fred or Vaike? There's no way, those guys follow him around like he's the second coming of Christ."

"How in the goddamn hell? That guy's always running around organizing teams and being captain of a bajillion clubs," Sumia said. "I heard his parents are always disappointed in him 'cause his older sister is some kind of übermensch, so he always tries to get out of her shadow or some shit."

"You speak German?" Cordelia asked, glancing to the girl sitting on the ground.

"A tiny bit," Sumia said. "Du bist ein dummkopf."

* * *

"This is actually kinda funny, but I usually don't get out much," Chrom said, leaning up against the beige wall.

"Really?" Robin said. "You're so sociable and...nice!"

"I'm in, like, a billion clubs and I've got a bunch of hard classes," Chrom said. "It's a wonder I was ever able to make it out to one of these things."

"What kind of classes?" Robin asked, head tilted in curiosity.

Chrom laughed. "Well, Em - my older sister is a genius, and my parents kinda pushed me along her path. So I had to take as many honors classes and as much foreign language as possible and all that," he said, waving his hand back and forth with his words. "It's exhausting."

"I can imagine," Robin said.

Chrom pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Aw, crap," he said. "I don't know how, but they found me."

"Who?" Robin said.

"The Libyan terrorists pursuing me," Chrom said. "Actually, just Fred and Vaike. Well, they'll barge in momentarily, which means I'm off to go find a back door. Ah - hang on." Chrom pulled out a piece of paper and scrawled a bit on it. "Here's my number. Call me up sometime, maybe we can hang out or something." Robin took the paper from the blue-haired upperclassman. "Well, see ya," Chrom said, rushing off.

Robin turned around -

\- and Cordelia was right there with a huge grin on her face.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Cordelia said, looking down at the paper. "You met him accidentally, chatted him up, and _got his number?_ "

"I...guess?" Robin said, unsure of what to say. "What's so awesome about that? You probably get a ton of guys' numbers."

"No, this is different," Cordelia said, moving Robin to a nearby couch. "That was _Chrom._ "

Robin nodded. "Yeah. It was. And?"

Cordelia shook her head. "Kid, you gotta a lot of nerve. Listen up! Chrom is insanely popular. The guy is, like, like, a, ah, uh..."

"A legend," Sumia supplied, emerging from behind her friend.

"Yeah!" Cordelia shouted. "He's a legend. The guy's always followed by two of the biggest cockblockers you've ever seen, so he never gets chatted up like you chatted him up."

Robin nodded. "So he gave me his number."

Cordelia nodded. "You're probably invited to some exclusive nightclub now," she said, staring at the paper. "Gah, I need a drink. I just _missed_ chatting up Chrom."

"Aw, come on," Sumia said, wrapping her arm around Cordelia's shoulders. "Let's get some caffeine in you." She turned back to Robin. "If you're actually allowed into some exclusive nightclub, you better take me sometime."

As the pair walked off to refill their drinks, the girl in the oversized jacket sat on the couch next to Robin.

"Hello," the girl said. "My name is Lucina."

"Ah, I'm Robin," Robin said, extending her hand for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you."

Lucina hesitantly accepted the handshake. "It's nice to meet you too, but we have important business to discuss. This is a matter of life and death. But first -" The girl produced a syringe in a steel case.

"I'm going to inject you with this."


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm going to inject you with these."

"What?"

The blue-haired girl reached out with her left hand and grabbed Robin's wrist. Robin felt a slight prick and then Lucina was withdrawing, tossing the syringe behind the couch.

"She's all fired up," Lucina said. "Tiki, you're free to talk to her."

"Good morning, Robin. Or, actually, evening," a female voice said.

"I'm hearing voices," Robin said. "What the hell did you just give me?"

"That's the communication nanomachines," Lucina said. "Tiki is our operator. Now listen, because this is important. We need to get out before Security arrives."

"What? The police, or - ?"

"No, far worse. Follow me. There's a back door," Lucina said.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Robin asked, following Lucina through the crowded backyard.

"Well, first, we procure some transport," Lucina said, beginning to scale the fence. "Tiki has the rest of the plan. Tiki?"

"Yes," Tiki said. "You're going to be heading out of the city, to the east. We're strapped for time, so that's as much as we have planned for now."

"Is that where you are? East?" Robin asked the voice in her ear as Lucina helped her over the fence.

"No," the voice said quickly. "Lucina, that car to your left."

The car was an older car, from the previous century. It wasn't old enough to be "classic", though, and and the backseat seemed to be cluttered with various items.

"Perfect," Lucina said, running around to the driver side and forcefully opening the door. "Tiki, if you'll guide me through this..."

"Uh," Robin said as she climbed into the passenger side. "Is this legal?"

"It doesn't matter. We've got to get you out of town," Lucina said. "Contact anyone you need to. Let them know you're going on vacation for a few days."

"Okay," Robin said awkwardly, fishing out her phone. She fired two quick texts, one to Cordelia telling her not to worry, she was getting a ride from someone else, and that she would be gone for the weekend, and one to Uncle, to let him know that she was going on vacation.

"Now. Toss the phone out the window," Lucina said, tinkering with the car's ignition.

"No. First you tell me what the _hell_ is going on here." Robin said, glaring.

Lucina nodded, still focusing on her task. "Okay. You deserve at least a few answers. First off, I'm here to get you out of the city. Security has been monitoring you for a while now. That shot suppressed and destroyed the tracers in your blood."

"Wait, what? There were...what?"

"You've been under constant surveillance," Lucina said, her eyes peeking up from the dash and scanning the dark street. "I can't tell you why yet, but once we reach the mountains we'll tell you everything. They're also probably tracking your phone - so we need to get rid of it here."

"Okay," Robin said. "But you better tell me everything later."

"I promise," Lucina said. "Let's drive."

* * *

The highway was sparsely populated.

Lucina kept her eyes on the road. Her passenger was asleep, head rolled to one side.

"Tiki? Keep me some company," Lucina said.

"I was just about to take a nap," Tiki said. "How's Robin?"

"Sleeping."

"Ah, lucky..."

"Come on," Lucina said. "Your life can't be dominated by sleep. And, also, this is far more important than a quick nap."

"Fine, fine," the girl on the other end said. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Just keep me awake," Lucina said.

* * *

Her room was never this bright, even at midday. And her bed was never this uncomfortable.

Robin's eyes opened suddenly. A car?

Ah, yes. Last night, at the party, some strange girl had picked her up saying something about her being under surveillance, and they'd taken a car, and Robin had almost immediately fallen asleep, and then they'd wound up...

...where, exactly?

Robin slowly opened the passenger side door, carefully climbing out and looking around.

It was on the outskirts of downtown. The car had been parked just outside of a maintenance garage, pointed directly to the east.

She looked back in the car. Lucina's slumbering form occupied the driver's side seat.

"Uh," Robin said aloud. "Is it...Tiki?"

"Y...yeah," a sleepy sounding voice said. "L...Lucina, what's the status..."

"Uh, this is Robin, I just woke up," the white haired girl said.

"Oh...sorry," the disembodied voice said again. "You're gonna want to wake Lucina up and get some...some sort of food or something."

"Ah, okay," Robin said, opening the car door again. She reached across the center console and began to gently shake Lucina.

"What?!" Lucina said, her hand going to her waist. "An attack?!"

"Gah! No! It's morning," Robin said, clearly surprised.

"Oh. Sorry," the blue haired girl said, her eyes scanning the road. "Damn, I'm hungry..."

"Wanna get some food?" Robin asked. "I've got some money in my wallet..."

* * *

"So what's the plan?" Robin asked, biting into a breakfast burrito.

"We have to get you out of the city," Lucina said. "We're going to head east on the highway as planned. How far are the mountains?"

"About a day's drive. I went up a few years back for vacation with my mother," Robin responded.

"Well," Lucina said. "We'll probably have to get past the mountains - Tiki, is there a map?"

"I've got one," Tiki said. "The highway east leads to the mountains. There's a small town right before you hit the mountains themselves. It'll be about seven hours before you get there."

"Just before sunset," Lucina said.

"Right. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a nap," Tiki said.

* * *

Lucina climbed into the driver's seat, her eyes scanning the parking lot for anyone suspicious. Robin climbed in shortly after, buckling her seatbelt.

They left the small restaurant and got on the highway, Lucina's eyes checking and rechecking her surroundings.

"So...who's Tiki?" Robin asked.

"Old friend," Lucina said. "Ally."

"Huh," the white haired girl said. "Where is she? Are we going to meet her?"

"She's far away," Lucina said. "But you will meet her. Trust me, m-"

The sound of a siren turning on drowned out whatever Lucina was preparing to say.

"Pull over!" Robin shouted.

"Why?!"

"Just do it!" Robin yelled. "Roll down the window!"

"Alright," Lucina said, obeying the girl's orders.

A man in a tan shirt and almost comically sized sunglasses walked to the driver's side window, standing high above the two. "You know how fast you were going?"

"No," Lucina said.

"Seventy-five. Don't know where you come from, but sixty is the speed limit 'round these parts, miss," the officer said. "Can I see your driver's license?"

Lucina's eyes narrowed. Her hand reached out and grabbed the man's shirt. With surprising strength, she jerked her arm back in, slamming the man's head against the top of the window's frame. She pushed him out and repeated the motion, finally pushing him away from the car.

Her hand moved to put the car in drive and she let up off the brakes.

"What the fuck?!" Robin shouted. "You knocked that man unconscious!"

"It was for your own good," Lucina said. "If we'd been detained, Security would have you in an instant."

"Who is Security?!"

"They are a collection of agents charged with keeping... _certain_ people under surveillance," Lucina explained. "Once we get past the mountains I can explain why they want you, but for now, you just need to _trust me._ "

"I-I...why? What's special about me?" Robin said firmly.

"You hold a power. A great power," the blue haired girl explained. "They don't want you to know about it."

* * *

The small town was built a refueling port for the travellers coming through the mountains. The center of the town was built with various convenience stores and gas stations to aid in this purpose.

Lucina pulled over in the back of a convenience store.

"We need to ditch the car," she said. "They'll be following it."

"...alright," Robin said. "Food first?"

The blue haired girl nodded. "I'll cover this meal."

The pair walked into the small fast food restaurant. The sole worker greeted them and rushed behind the counter to aid them.

"I'll have a hamburger," Robin said. "Sauce only. Medium."

"I'll have...the same," Lucina said. "...sandwich only?"

Lucina forked over her money to the man and he walked into the back to begin cooking their meal.

Lucina stepped back and leaned against the railing. As she glanced outside, her eyes widened. "Security," she said quietly to Robin. "Go into the bathroom. Lock yourself in a stall. I'll handle this."

* * *

The men in the black suits stepped into the so-called eatery. Their eyes, hidden by rectangular shades, scanned the room.

One nodded to the other and they began to walk through the restaurant, one taking the left and the other taking the right.

Lucina forcefully slowed her breathing. The hiding place was small and cramped and uncomfortable, and she wanted more than anything to get out.

The pair reached the end of their initial sweep. In sync, their eyes snapped to the restrooms.

As they exited the room, Lucina burst out of the small cupboard underneath the condiment stand. She took three deep breaths as she walked up behind them.

One man entered the men's restroom and the other entered the women's.

In the women's restroom, the man opened the first stall door and leaned inside, looking all around. Nothing. The man stepped out, progressing to the next door. He pushed it open, leaned inside, and checked it. Nothing.

A quick kick to the back of the leg sent him off balance and the cold steel of a knife pierced his throat. Lucina carefully removed the small pocket knife from the man's corpse, trying to keep blood loss to a minimum.

A knock sounded on the door. The other man.

Lucina waited for the distinctive sound of the door's opening.

She tried to get as best a glance as she could. He was armed with a small silenced pistol, holding it in a fairly standard ready stance. The man stepped forward into the restroom, pistol at the ready.

His eyes caught a small trickle of blood heading to the drain and he traced it up to the second stall.

Lucina's legs had already sprung into action, sending her forward at a blistering pace. Her hand reached out and grabbed the man's wrist and forearm, rotating it toward the ground.

The man's weight slammed into the tiles, breaking several of them. Lucina's right hand pulled out the pocket knife and slammed it into the man's chest.

She dragged the corpse to the first stall and dumped it on the toilet, carefully shutting the door before walking down to the last stall and carefully knocking.

"It's me," she said softly. "Lucina."

Robin carefully opened the door. Lucina grabbed the white haired girl and led her past the pair of bodies.

As they walked past the front room, the man placed their meal onto the counter.

"Food?" Robin asked.

"Food," Lucina responded.

* * *

Lucina stared at the horizon as the sun peeked over the mountains far to the east.

"Tiki," she said aloud. "Any changes up there?"

"None," the woman on the other end replied. "Everything is normal."

"When should we tell her?" Lucina asked silently.

"She'll find out soon enough," the woman on the other end said.


	3. Chapter 3

Robin's eyes opened gradually. She shuffled around, pulling her jacket close, trying to savor in the little warmth it gave her.

She turned to look at the driver's side. Lucina wasn't there.

Robin threw off the jacket and got out of the car. Her foot hit asphalt and she stood and basked in the fresh morning air.

Two teenagers on a road trip in a stolen car. Sounded just like a movie. Probably some teen comedy, with actors in their twenties.

"You're awake," Lucina said, appearing from seemingly nowhere. "Sorry, I was just getting us some food. Beef jerky?"

"Oh, sure," Robin said. "Not a huge fan of it, but I'm hungrier than a goddamn hippo."

"Alright. So let's get on the move."

* * *

Lucina found another car - this one, slightly newer, but still a piece of trash. Lucina opened the unlocked door and shoved the trash off the driver's seat and center console and sat down. She began work on hotwiring the car while Robin ate beef jerky and a package of walnuts.

"So what's your story?" Robin asked between bites.

"You first," Lucina said, her fingers manipulating the wires on the ignition.

"Not much for me," Robin said. "I'm a student, I don't have a job, I live in my uncle's apartment because my father's a bastard and my mother's off treating people in underdeveloped countries."

"Your father, huh? What's he like?" Lucina asked.

"We don't speak much," Robin said. "He provides the bare minimum for me, at least. I don't look much like him - he's got really dark, ashy skin and this crazy hair, like some kinda Japanese anime dude."

"Says the girl with the white hair," Lucina said, touching two wires together. The contact caused the engine to roar to life.

"Pfft. You've got blue hair! Blue. Hair," Robin said, ripping a chunk of jerky off. "I just have very light blonde hair. I get it from my mother."

"Anyway, you asked about my story," Lucina said, taking the parking brake off and putting the car in drive. "Well, there's not much to say. Never really knew my father - died when I was young. And I didn't meet my mother for years. I grew up with a bunch of men who didn't know how to raise a child. Learned a lot of fighting. Swordsmanship, hand to hand, even a bit of gunplay."

"Yeah?" Robin cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"To find my mother," Lucina said.

* * *

Robin had only been in the mountains once before, and their beauty had not changed. The air was clear, and the trees were the greenest green she could ever remember.

She rolled down the window and let her hair whip around in the wind.

Lucina pulled over. "Damn, she muttered. "Road's closed up ahead. You see any binoculars back there?"

"Uh, let me check," Robin said, reaching back around and looking. "Yeah. Here."

Lucina took the binoculars from Robin and peered through them, adjusting the zoom. "There's Security. We're going to have to turn back, find another route."

"Alright," Robin said. "Let me check if there's a map."

"No problem," Tiki said. "There's another road five miles back, goes right through the mountains. It'll take a few hours longer, though."

* * *

"So did you ever meet your mother?" Robin asked. The blue haired girl nodded. "What was she like?"

"Different than I expected. It's strange - you have this expectation of what someone's like, and then you actually meet them. They're never exactly what you expect," Lucina said.

"So was she better than you expected?"

Lucina was completely silent, focusing on watching the road.

* * *

The side road lacked regular maintenance. Robin held tightly to the handle above the window, her eyes wide in terror at Lucina's seemingly lack of any caution concerning the road and disturbingly high speed.

Robin would have loved the side road in any other situation. It was a highly scenic drive, with grand views and a breathtaking view of the mountain range.

But Lucina had thrown caution to the wind, blazing through the scenic drive with no care for speed limits or the breaking point of the car itself.

To her credit, the driver with blue hair had yet to get into an accident.

She slowed up slightly to take a sharp turn, Robin's grip tightening as they barely evaded the edge of the road. The view of the mountains was obscured now, behind a thick collection of trees.

Lucina's eyes flicked up to see behind and then flicked back down to see the road ahead.

It was at that exact point that Robin had had enough. "Stop the car!"

* * *

Robin sat on the side of the road, her right hand's fingers against her neck, checking that her pulse was slowing. Lucina sat on the hood of the car, her eyes scanning the road for anyone who may have followed them.

"Geez," Robin said. "You about gave me a heart attack with that turn, Lucina!"

"It was a bit tight," the blue haired girl said, shrugging. "I'm not the best driver."

"Well, I haven't gotten my permit yet," Robin said. "I can drive, but I'm no good."

"I don't have a permit," Lucina said. "We're losing daylight. Once you're ready, let's move out."

"Wait, you don't have a permit? You don't have a license, either? You can't drive!" Robin yelled.

"Doesn't matter," Lucina said. "I know how to drive."

"Yeah, but..."

Lucina's eyes moved to the sky. "The world does not always revolve around rules and regulations. Sometimes, they must be broken."

* * *

Lucina had once again taken the wheel, although Robin had requested her to slow down and "take it easy". From the vehicle's speed, the driver seemed to have obeyed the passenger.

The winding mountain ride quickly lured Robin to sleep, but Lucina kept her eyes on the road. She would glance over every so often to check her passenger, but there was no change.

"Robin..." Lucina whispered. "I'd heard so much about you from everyone - but the reality is far different from the legend." She gave the sleeping girl a smile. "I'm here to bring the legend back to life. Ha. When you say it like that, it sounds so noble..."

She reached out and russled Robin's white hair. "We need the best tactician. That's all. You've been away, and we need you back."

* * *

Robin's eyes opened slowly.

"We're taking a stop," Lucina said. "Get out, stretch your feet. You were asleep for an hour or two."

Robin said nothing and started to climb out of the car.

The forest air was chilled. Even this late in spring, patches of snow could be found hiding in shady spots throughout the forest.

Robin walked around, taking in the forest's glory. After a few minutes, though, she climbed back into the car.

Lucina hopped into the driver's seat and took the car out of park. She pushed gently on the gas and the car began to move down the road.

* * *

Lucina slammed on the brakes. A trio of black sedans blocked the road ahead. She began to reverse in preparation for a U-turn when her blood ran cold.

Two more black sedans, coming up from behind. Lucina grabbed her knife.

"Wait," Robin said, grabbing Lucina's arm. "Let me help."

"No," Lucina said. "You're too important. I can't let you risk yourself needlessly. Just run. Run east."

The blue haired girl shoved open the door and stepped out.

The two cars coming from behind pulled to a stop. Two men stepped out of each car.

"Ten against one, huh?" Lucina smirked. "If I had a sword this would already be over."

Three men approached, drawing short tantos.

Lucina dashed forward, her right hand reaching out and grabbing the first man's tie. With it firmly in hand, she pulled sharply downwards, sending him off balance. Her other hand slid the knife into his stomach.

The second man was already upon her with his sword, and she dodged backwards without pulling the knife out. Unarmed, she shifted her body into a defensive stance.

The first man thruster forward - Lucina dodged right and grabbed his forearm. With no hesitation, she pulled him around and slammed her elbow down on the man's arm.

Lucina winced at the loud crack, but pressed on, grabbing the man's sword out of his hand. She held it in one hand, her eyes snapping to the last man.

The last man mirrored her stance. "No judo," he said. "Swords only."

She nodded and made a quick slash forward. The man barely blocked it. Lucina shoved the blocking blade upwards and swung again, aiming for the man's wrist.

He clutched at the stump of his severed hand, blood gushing from the open wound.

She glanced up. Seven men with assault rifles and pistols surrounded her.

* * *

"Lucina?" The voice in Robin's ear said. "Can you hear me, Lucina? Can you hear me, Lucina?!"

Robin ran. She ran faster than she'd ever ran, tripping over branches and bushes and still getting up and running. Her legs burned and her lungs were worn down and she ran.

The east. She had to go east, get away, run away from the men in the black suits.

She tripped over a root, stumbling but still moving.

The only thing on her mind was running.

* * *

"Tie her hands and her feet," one of the men directed. "The Boss is giving her one more chance to cease her interference before we kill her."

"Got it," another man said, crouching by the unconscious blue-haired girl and retrieving a pair of zip ties from his jacket.

"Air Unit, do you copy?" The lead man said into his radio.

"This is Air Unit."

"Do you see her yet?"

"We have visual," the pilot said.

* * *

Robin emerged from the thick trees into a clearing. She immediately regretted it, seeing the helicopter circling overhead bearing down on her. A massive spotlight shone down on her, causing her to raise her hand to shield her eyes.

The men in the black suits emerged from behind and she rose her hands in surrender.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucina shook her head twice and opened her eyes.

The first things she thought went: Her hands and feet were bound. No one else was around. And Robin was gone. Her mind ran down the list of profanity, searching for an appropriate expletive.

She looked down at her bindings. Zip ties. She could cut them if she could just reach her knife.

They'd bound her hands at her front - unfortunate for her, given that her knife was in her back pocket. She curled up into a fetal position and slid her hands over her legs and feet.

Lucina rolled over and worked her arms to reach the knife. She slid it out of the pocket and opened it, then moved to put her hands back in front.

She held the knife with both hands and sawed off the tie on her feet. She then began to work at sawing off the binding on her wrists.

* * *

Lucina walked along the side of the road, her arm outstretched, her hand giving a thumbs-up.

Two hours. No luck. Few cars passed along the side road. The sun was quickly setting and she could feel the cold air setting in.

Lucina continued her trek. She was drenched in sweat, her clothes clinging to her body, her hair plastered to her face.

A large RV pulled to a stop next to her. A man opened the passenger door.

"Need a ride back into town?"

* * *

The man claimed his name was Gaius, and he was coming back from a week of camping in the mountains.

He gave Lucina an half filled bag of beef jerky and some other snacks. She sat in the passenger seat and ate as he drove down the road.

"Need a change of clothes?" he asked as Lucina chowed down.

"Uh...wouldn't mind it," she said.

"Go into the back and open up my trunk. There's probably something there that fits you," he said. "Don't touch _any_ of the candy."

"Uh...alright," she said, unbuckling herself and climbing into the back. She quickly found the trunk and opened it.

There were only a few clean outfits, the rest dirty and sticky. She fished out one in particular that would fit her and climbed into the small bedroom to change.

"Tiki." Lucina said, tossing her dirty clothes aside.

"I'm here," the woman said. "Robin's gone?"

"I need somewhere where I can get a longsword."

* * *

Robin sat in the back of the car, her hands in cuffs.

"Don't talk," Tiki said. "Lucina's on her way, but she's a bit behind. Try not to let them inject you with anything."

Robin nodded.

"Alright. Let's see if I can walk you through getting those handcuffs off."

Robin eyed the two men sitting in the front seat, their eyes focused on the road. She looked at the handcuffs and smirked.

* * *

Lucina held herself close to the motorcycle, the sword in its sheath strapped to her back.

She pulled over at the overlook, eyes examining the skyline.

"Robin...I'm coming. Don't worry."

* * *

The car pulled to a stop. Robin was grabbed and led out of the backseat, the two men leading her into the back entrance of the building.

The two men pushed her gently into an elevator. Robin looked around, her eyes scanning her surroundings.

Her analysis went as such.

The elevator was much larger than normal elevators. The lights were bright, too bright to be uncomfortable. There was no control panel, the men simply stood in the elevator. The door slid closed and she could see it was built to resemble the walls to the point that the only telltale sign that there _was_ a door was the slight indent in the walls of the elevator.

Suffice to say, it was the strangest elevator she'd been in. This was the conclusion of her analysis.

She waited, the two men standing in silence to her right and left. The elevator gave no indication of progress, and Robin could not tell if she was moving up or moving down.

In the back of her mind, she wondered what awaited her at her destination.

* * *

Lucina pulled to a stop in front of the office building. She lifted herself off the bike, grabbing the sword as she ditched the vehicle.

She walked through the automatic doors into the empty lobby. The sound of her steps echoed through the massive room.

Lucina punched the button and waited for the elevator.

* * *

The elevator door slowly opened. The two men led Robin out of the elevator and down the long corridor, passing by a dozen unmarked doors before stopping at one door in particular.

The first man produced a key, which he slid into the door handle's lock. The second man pushed open the door.

"The Commander is waiting," the first man said. "Head on in."

* * *

The elevator's pair of doors opened. Lucina stepped into the large room.

Twenty to thirty men were waiting for her, swords in hand. All of them were dressed in the same dark suits and wore matching sunglasses.

"You have interfered in our business for the last time," a dark-suited man said. "You will surrender to us, turning over all weapons, or you will face death."

"Try me," Lucina said. Her eyes darted around, and she stepped forward into the room. The entire crowd backed around her, cutting her access to the elevator.

She dashed forward and sliced a man's arm off.

* * *

Robin walked into the massive office, her eyes scanning the room. It was a standard office, like one would find in any other corporate building. A lone piece of modern art adorned the smooth, shiny black desk in the center of the room.

"Hello, Robin."

The white haired girl turned to look at the voice - at the man standing in the entrance.

The man was clad in a suit, not unlike the men who had brought her here. However, he lacked the sunglasses and the posture of the Security men, his hands in his pockets and slightly slouching.

"I've been waiting a long time to meet you," the man said. "Although I had wished for the circumstances to be different."

"Who are you?" Robin's head tilted slightly.

"My designation is TR-107A, also known as 'Tyfring'. I am an artificial intelligence placed in charge of your safekeeping," the man explained.

"Safekeeping?"

* * *

Lucina swung upward, her sword slicing through the man's sword arm. She turned to block the next sword, her eyes locking onto the door on the far side of the room.

She shoved away the block, her sword coming around and impaling the man. She withdrew the sword, swinging it around to deflect another attacker's swing. She stepped backward, her eyes locked with the suited man's sunglasses.

* * *

"Your safekeeping. You are no ordinary human - although to anyone else, it may seem that way. But in truth, this is far from the truth. You are the vessel of Grima - a legendary dragon from long ago whose awakening heralds the end of humanity."

"What?" Robin asked. "I'm some kinda dragon?"

"No, not yet," Tyfring said. "That is only a possibility. However, my creator foresaw a future in which you did destroy humanity, and she decided to prevent such a disaster from ever occurring - by sealing you, the vessel of Grima, away for years. And so she created this reality."

"So this is a simulation?"

"Yes," the man said. "It worked, until Lucina arrived."

* * *

Lucina dodged backwards, the man's sword merely slicing through her jacket. She discarded the torn garment onto the man's face before running her sword through his chest.

She instinctively heard the swing coming in from the right and moved to block. She ducked under another swing, her sword slicing through a man's leg. She dashed forward, toward the door.

* * *

"Her interference has upset the delicate balance that I worked so hard to maintain," Tyrfing said. "Even now, your mind is finding the imperfections in this reality - and her interference is the catalyst that caused this."

"So what now?" Robin asked, sliding into a chair.

"There is only one choice," the AI man said. "I will revert your mind and this reality to a backup I created two weeks ago."

"What about Lucina?"

"She was given a choice," the man said. "She chose to fight to the last." The man produced a syringe from inside his blazer. "Do not move."

As the man stepped forward, Robin stood up, snapping the handcuffs in half and assuming a pseudo karate pose.

The man glared and stepped forward, syringe in hand.

The door opened once more. Lucina stepped into the room, her face bloodied and her eyes blazing with fury.

"Step away from my _mother_ , you son of a bitch."


	5. Chapter 5

Robin's eyes widened. "Wait, what?!"

The man began to move forward, syringe in hand. Lucina's eyes narrowed, her body crouching back and readying for an attack.

She dashed forward, her sword slicing upwards. The man stumbled back, his arm a useless hunk of flesh and bone on the carpet.

"Let's get out of here," Lucina said, grabbing Robin by her arm and hurrying out the door.

The massive hallway filled with doors was empty save for the two. Lucina pushed through the door across the way.

The door led to a concrete staircase. Lucina and Robin ran upwards a flight.

"Damn! They're above us!" Lucina said, reaching the next landing and kicking open the door.

Robin looked down the hallway to her left. She looked down the hallway to her right. There were very few obstacles and a massive series of windows along the hall provided a magnificent view of the city at night.

"What's the next step of your plan?!" Robin shouted.

"The roof," Lucina said, breathing deeply, "the helicopter - "

She was cut off when an American built gunship came bearing down on the pair, twin cannons revving up -

"Get back!"

Lucina pulled Robin in the door, around and behind the concrete, right as the machine guns began to fire.

"So much for the helicopter," Lucina said. "We're going to have to do this the old fashioned way - you any good with a sword?"

"No," Robin said flatly.

"There's never a better time to learn," Lucina said.

"Can I pass on this?"

"No," the blue haired girl said. "Good at jogging?"

"I was on track last year," Robin said. "Not in the best shape right now, though."

"Then let's go - down this time," Lucina said. "They've probably stopped the elevators - or trapped them, if they're smart. Stairs are our best bet."

* * *

If there was a time when Robin had been in more pain from physical exertion, she could not remember it.

Then again, it did feel like her brain cells were plinking out, one by one, as if someone were popping bubble wrap except instead of bubbles of plastic it was _her brain._

Robin wanted to note that Lucina seemed to be exhausted, and the cuts and bruises from her fighting probably didn't feel too good, either.

She could hear the Security agents, too, a few flights above - their calls echoing off the concrete and causing Robin to go faster.

Lucina called out the floor number. "Seven!"

"Almost there," Robin noted, obviously out of breath.

Robin's vision blurred and her legs burned and her brain felt like scrambled eggs.

Lucina spotted a Security agent, running up the stairs to meet them. She didn't unsheathe the sword, deciding to punch him straight in the nose hard enough to break the bridge of his sunglasses. She quickly wiped her bloody fist on her clothing and continued to run down the steps.

"Five," she called out.

"Stay on target," Robin said.

The pair ran down another flight of stairs.

"So what was that back there about me being your mother?" Robin yelled.

"You are my birth mother," Lucina yelled. "I've heard a lot about you, from everyone - but you probably don't even remember everyone, huh?"

"No," Robin panted out. "I'm not sure who you mean."

"Some of the old soldiers," Lucina yelled out behind her. "You and Chrom's old squad, along with a few of their children."

"Chrom?" Robin asked. "He's, uh, he's that guy from the party the other day!"

"Not quite," Lucina said, turning her head to glance at Robin. "Tiki said this might be the case - she thinks your mind might have filled this reality with people you remember from before. I thought I recognized that redhead you were hanging out with - that's Cordelia, right?"

"Yeah," Robin gasped out between deep breaths. "How do you know her?"

"Woman practically raised me, along with her child," Lucina said. "She taught me the basics of fighting."

"Really? Her?"

"Yes," Lucina yelled. "Two!"

"Is she - still around, where you're from?"

"She - got wounded a couple years back. Her leg was infected and they had to take it off - she can't really fight any more, but - still alive," Lucina gasped out, stopping at the last landing before the basement. "Let's find the car park?"

Robin opened the door.

* * *

The car park was devoid of people. A pair of black sedans and a white unmarked van were the only cars in the park.

"Shit, there's some Security coming in from behind," Lucina said. "Not sure if I can take too many of them, and you're no good with a sword - so we don't have time to hotwire a car."

"We'll have to find one with keys," Robin deduced. "I'll find one - you just hold them off."

Lucina could hear them, the locked door's knob rattling as they worked to break it down.

Lucina unsheathed the sword, her eyes narrowing in focus. "This is it," she murmured at too low a volume to be heard. "This is it."

The Security men busted open the door and Lucina was already upon them, her sword flashing and slashing.

And while the rather unpleasant sight of Lucina almost disemboweling a man was occurring, Robin checked each car for keys.

"Not in the glove box, not in the mirror," she muttered to herself. "Shit!" She climbed out of the van and ran to the first of two sedans.

She slammed open the glove box. She flipped the mirror down. Nothing. She got out and ran to the last car.

Her mind was frantic and she opened the empty glove box. She flipped down the mirror -

\- and a set of shiny car keys landed in her lap.

"Lucina! Let's get out of here!" Robin yelled, the engine roaring to life.

Lucina immediately ran to the car, opened the door, and dived in.

"Drive!"

"I don't know how," Robin said.

"Gas is on the right!" Lucina yelled. "Just drive! I'm going to keep them off our back!"

"How?!"

Lucina reached underneath the seat, hands feeling about before pulling out a compact submachine gun. She unfolded the stock and leaned out the window to take aim.

The sedan slammed through the parking gate and into the street.

"So how do we escape?" Robin asked, swerving around the corner.

"Well, the plan was to go far enough from the main simulation area that even the combined strength of your mind and the computer would be unable to build more land," Lucina said. "That was Cordelia's plan. There was no plan B, though, so I'm just making this up as I go!"

"Makes me real confident," Robin said. "Tiki? Do you have any ideas?"

"Nope," the voice in Robin's ear said. "We'd have to find some way of breaking the simulation."

"And how do you do that?" Lucina asked.

"Overloading it," Tiki said. "Cause a crash of some kind - this technology is foreign to me, I have no clue how to -"

"Hang on," Robin cut her off. "I took two semesters of computer classes - you just have to - woah!"

Robin leaned all the way to the left, turning the steering wheel with as much force as she could.

"Almost hit that fence," Lucina said, collapsing in the seat. She tossed the empty submachine gun onto the car's floor.

"Yeah, yeah," Robin half-yelled. "You have to - gah - block the fans - it'll overheat the computer!"

"Got it," Tiki said. "I'll be back - just hold out for a little longer."

"Not sure how long we can," Lucina muttered. "Robin, you have any plans?"

"Nothing," the white haired girl said, eyes focused on the road. "Wait - did that - ?!"

"What?"

"The - something just - it's like it was a glitch of some kind - the overheating! It's working!"

"How long do you think it'll take?!" Lucina shouted.

"A few minutes, at least!" Robin said, making a sharp U-turn and charging the five Security cars chasing them. The cars swerved out of the way, only two managing to evade unscathed - the rest, crashing into roadside obstacles.

Lucina's eyes scanned the sky. "Where's the helicopter?"

"Not sure," Robin replied, her eyes glancing upwards and snapping back down. "Hey - another glitch!"

"I saw it," Lucina said, sticking her head out the window to check their pursuers' status. "They're gaining on us."

"Well, we'll just have to outmaneuver them," Robin said, making a sharp turn to the right.

"Got one," Lucina noted, falling back into her seat. "The other seems thoroughly determined not to lose us. Where're you taking us?"

"No idea," Robin said, glaring at the road. "We'll have to - shit!"

Robin swerved and narrowly missed hitting a car coming from the left. The swerve carried the sedan right into a large steel lamppost.

The airbags inflated on impact, slamming into the two before they could move forward all that much.

"Damn it," Lucina said, feeling a cut on her face. "They've got us."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Robin said. "Come on, let's go! The system will crash at any moment!"

"Right." Lucina climbed out of the wreckage, looking at the Security car that had just pulled over. Two agents had just stepped out, their submachine guns at the ready.

Robin had also emerged from the totalled car, and was running as fast as her exhausted legs could. She ran right for a nearby alley, Lucina right in front of her.

Robin stopped for a moment, focusing on the still air.

"Do you hear that?" Lucina asked, terrified. She turned slightly to look at Robin.

"The helicopter," the white haired girl said, her voice trembling. "Fuck."

Lucina turned to see the far end of the alley - the helicopter was in view, the gunship slowly turning to face them.

Robin's head turned to see the gunship, and she noticed three things - the impossible tilt it had begun to take, the guns and rockets beginning to separate themselves from the gunship, and the way its surface had begun to shatter and pixellate in a hundred different colors.

"Wait - " Robin's eyes widened. She felt a sharp pull on her left leg and she fell into darkness.

* * *

Robin stirred from her slumber. In that state of half awakeness, she began to collect information on her environment.

She was laying on a bed of some kind, not terribly cushioned like the one in Uncle's apartment but still comfortable. There were apparently no blankets she could wrap herself in.

She stretched her arms out and hit cold steel.

Her eyes opened.

She was in some kind of sleeping chamber - built like a coffin, but with a steel lid with a small viewport at head level. Robin could only barely see the ceiling, the glass too foggy to see much.

At once the capsule began to tilt, turning from the former horizontal position to almost standing. The capsule lid unsealed and slowly opened.

Robin stepped out, her bare feet hitting cold concrete.

To her left, she heard a door open. She turned and saw a green-haired woman standing in the open doorway.

"It's been a while," the woman said.

"Tiki?"

The woman nodded.

"Where's Lucina?"

"I'll take you to her," Tiki said. "Your memories - they haven't returned, have they?"

"I don't think so," Robin said. "I still have the ones from the - the simulation, but those aren't real, are they?"

"Are they? That's certainly a question. Follow me," Tiki said, turning and walking away. Robin quickly caught up to her. "Hopefully your original memories will return in time."

The place was a borderline maze, but Tiki quickly lead Robin through the repetitive concrete corridors until they came upon a room with black double doors.

Tiki opened the door and held it open for Robin.

Lucina was waiting inside, clad in a familiar dark longcoat.

"I've been waiting for this," the blue-haired girl said, tightly embracing her mother. She pulled away, looking Robin in the eye. "Are you ready to get to work?"

"What kind of work?" Robin's left eyebrow inched up.

"The kind you're best at," Lucina said, smiling widely. "Tactics."

"Well, then," Robin smirked. "Let's get down to business."


End file.
